


Unrequited

by Headphone_Love



Series: Forget Me Not [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Eventual Romance, Feelings Realization, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Getting Together, Hurt Hinata Shouyou, Jealousy, Love Confessions, M/M, Minor Injuries, Misunderstandings, One-Sided Attraction, Protective Kageyama Tobio, Rejection, Second Year Students
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-08
Updated: 2017-06-18
Packaged: 2018-11-10 22:24:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 19,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11135871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Headphone_Love/pseuds/Headphone_Love
Summary: After months of dealing with the awkward consequences of his confession, Hinata suggests they forget it ever happened.Kageyama agrees instantly but finds that Hinata seems too good at pretending.How annoying.---“Can you actually do such a thing?” he asked, eyes not leaving Hinata’s brown ones.“I can…Iwill,” Hinata said quietly.  “When have I backed out of a deal I suggested?”





	1. I'll Forget You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was asked if I would ever consider writing a story where Hinata's love was originally rejected.  
> This is the mess that came out of listening to break up songs on loop while I wrote this entire story lol.
> 
> Hope you enjoy :)
> 
> ~HxL

“I’ll stop liking you!”

Kageyama stopped walking, turning to look at Hinata with an expression of disbelief. Ever since Hinata had confessed, he would admit things had been less than ideal for him. Whenever Hinata would get close to him, the ginger would get red in the face and trip over his words.

He would constantly be around, and quite frankly Kageyama found that while it wasn’t a nuisance, it was uncomfortable.

“Ha?”

Hinata’s cheeks puffed out, hands clenched tightly at his side. His eyes were stuck to the setter, as serious and determined as when they had first played volleyball together.

“I said, I will stop liking you. So stop avoiding me,” Hinata declared, letting out a deep breath. “We are still teammates, and we hung out so often that I probably got too...attached or something I don’t know,” he said with an exasperated tone. He calmed, letting out a deep breath. “So if you are going to keep avoiding me, then just pretend I never said anything!”

Kageyama turned around completely, facing his teammate and stepping closer. He stopped when he was right in front of him, looking down at his determined expression. His eyes scanned Hinata’s face for any signs of hesitation, hands shoved into his pockets. “Can you actually do such a thing?” he asked, eyes not leaving Hinata’s brown ones.

Hinata straightened, looking away and turning red in the face. Kageyama’s eyes softened as he let out a deep breath, running a hand through his dark hair. He looked up at the night sky, trying to calm his nerves.

‘Just as I thought. The idiot spoke before he thought,’ he mused.

“I can…I _will_ ,” Hinata said quietly. “When have I backed out of a deal I suggested?”

Kageyama had to give it to him on that one, as Hinata never lied. He would sometimes get in over his head, but he never once backed down once he made a declaration. The setter leaned on one leg as he nodded.

He held out a hand. “Fine. Though remember you offered,” Kageyama warned. “I don’t want to hear that you gave up because you couldn’t do it.”

Hinata grabbed the hand after a moment of silence, nodding his head. Kageyama could feel that he was trembling slightly, but the middle blocker pulled away before he could ask why.

“Idiot...I keep my word when it matters.”

The taller male cracked a slight smile and shrugged.

“I’ll give you that. Now get home. It is late.”

Hinata’s eyes brightened, a grin forming on his lips as he saluted Kageyama.

“Right!”

And just like that, Kageyama was able to avoid any more awkward situations with the middle blocker after months of dealing with his one-sided crush.

At least, that is what he had originally believed.

* * *

 “Are you ready for practice?” Hinata asked as he changed out of his uniform and into his practice clothes. Kageyama nodded, slipping his shirt off.

“Of course, you better be ready to practice until you drop,” Kageyama replied, looking over at Hinata with a smirk. “Your blocks and receives are still underave-” he paused, eyeing Hinata’s neck and collarbone. He noticed a few bruises, brows furrowing: had someone hit him?

Hinata looked at him with his shirt in his hands, tilting his head, eyes concerned. “What?”

Before he could answer, whistles were heard in the club room. Apparently, Kageyama’s staring led to his fellow teammates to look as well.

“Woah, there! Those are some love bites you got there, Hinata!”

“Yeah Shou, I never took you as the shameless type!”

Hinata looked over his shoulder, frowning in confusion. His brown eyes moved downwards, unable to really see anything from his angle as his hand brushed against his neck. “Love bites?”

He was pulled by Tanaka towards the mirror, the elder smirking as he slapped the second year on the back. “Got yourself a girlfriend, huh? Why didn’t you tell your senpais? Is she pretty?”

Nishinoya and Tanaka began to ask a million questions, Hinata progressively getting redder and redder as he covered himself with his hands. If there was one thing that Kageyama had learned about Hinata over the last year, it was that he was an extremely shameless person. He would strip without a care in the world and often run around in the public saunas whenever they went as a team.

So why did he look so concerned now?

“I-It really isn’t like that!” Hinata defended, shaking his head with his eyes closed tightly. “It was an accident and—”

“So it was a fling!” Nishinoya said with a gasp, the two third years eyeing each other as they continued to pester their kohai with useless questions. “I don’t encourage one night stands, but I have to say I am curious about what kind of girl managed to seduce you!”

Growing annoyed, Kageyama slipped his shirt on. Why anyone would be interested in such a personal topic, he wasn’t sure. It wasn’t as if people being in relationships was unheard of at their age—they were all old enough to do so—but the thought of it never made sense to Kageyama. He applied partial blame to Oikawa, as he had seen many relationships fail for him in the past. Sure, they had been middle school ‘relationships’, but he knew that if it ever came between volleyball or a girlfriend, he would pick the sport in a heartbeat.

Surprised that the situation had even made him _think_ about dating, he turned to shut his locker to take his leave.

A snort caught his attention, Kageyama pausing. He glanced to his left to see Tsukishima watching the scene with a smile on his lips, eyes flickering in amusement. It was one of those irritatingly smug smiles, his eyes making it seem like he _knew_ something that no one else did. Had this been any other situation, Kageyama would have ignored it and left without another thought. It was when Tsukishima raised a hand to his own neck, turning away to slip on his shirt in private that Kageyama became somewhat bothered.

Kageyama's hand slammed his locker shut rather loudly, silencing the entire room.

Tsukishima turned and eyed him with a raised brow, Kageyama turning to look at the third years harassing Hinata. “Shouldn’t we be getting ready for practice?” he asked darkly, Hinata looking somewhat close to tears. A tense smile formed on his lips. “Now?” he insisted as the third years moved away from Hinata.

The ginger grabbed his practice clothes and slipped them on as quickly as he could. He moved to leave, looking at Kageyama for a moment and nodding his head in thanks. He was the first out of the room, leaving the third years to wonder about his bruises alone. They pouted as they finished changing, mumbling under their breath about how their kohais were so mean to them.

Once the club room had cleared out, Kageyama let out a deep breath, wondering why he had lost his temper like that. No one had done anything remotely worth him snapping at them all. All they had been doing was teasing Hinata like usual. Doing a quick review in his mind of the situation, he wondered if seeing Hinata become flustered somehow managed to set off his temper.

He had never seen Hinata act like that. It was completely out of character for someone so free and clueless.

“You know, King.”

Kageyama turned to see Tsukishima standing at the doorway, a smile playing at his lips. The door was only cracked open enough for the blond to rest against the frame, foot holding the door open.

“You should learn to hide your emotions better. Jealousy is not a good look, especially on you.”

“Jealousy?” Kageyama asked with a scoff. “I was more annoyed at the stupidity of the situation.”

“Oh? So seeing Hinata in that state did nothing in that cold little heart of yours?”

The elder of the two felt a snarky comment rising, but held it in. He didn’t need to start any fights before practice.

“Not a thing. Besides, what would I have to be jealous of?”

Golden Brown met dark blue in a battle of who would look away first. Kageyama was the victor, Tsukishima looking away only to wave a dismissive hand. He moved his arm to allow Kageyama an exit from the club room. The smile on his face was irritating the setter to the core, but he couldn’t pinpoint the reason.

“Not of _what_ , your majesty,”

He pushed his glasses up and smirked.

“Of _who._ ”

* * *

 Kageyama watched Hinata spike the ball, getting it through one of the first year’s blocks easily. Hinata grinned, buzzing with excitement as he stretched his arms above his head.

“You almost got that, Ren-san!” Hinata shouted encouragingly. The red-head flushed and bowed his head in thanks. “Next time, try putting your hands like this,” he suggested, dipping under the net to stand beside the taller male.

“Do you really think you of all people should be showing him how to block, Hinata?” Tanaka called from across the gym, Hinata tensing and turning to the third year.

“How rude! I know how to block! During games it is...different,” he muttered, returning his attention to Ren and smiling, the insult forgotten in a moment.

While he continued to demonstrate for the first year, Kageyama decided to use this time to get some water. There was a bad taste in his mouth after his talk with Tsukishima, unsure of why his words had irritated him so much.

He was not jealous of anyone or anything, especially not over Hinata.

“Yeah, like that!” Hinata’s voice rang out, loud and obnoxious.

Kageyama couldn’t help but watch him as he demonstrated how to block, his face flushed and hair sticking to his forehead from all the jumping he had been doing. The longer Kageyama watched, the more he began to wonder why this year had presented such a complicated situation.

Hinata was his teammate: his weapon and partner on the court. There was nothing that signaled they needed to be any more than teammates considering their dynamic was already strong. They played on the court and already worked on the same frequency, so what good would dating do besides jumble the efficiency of their partnership? The ginger had even declared he would stop liking him, and while he hadn’t expected much from the words, Hinata had delivered. He no longer stuttered around him, nor clung to him like a needy child.

He felt a pinching sensation in his chest at the realization, brushing it off as unimportant.  It didn’t make sense to him, and so he decided to ignore it in favor of focusing on volleyball.

“Oi, Hinata.”

Kageyama watched as Hinata perked up, turning to run over towards Tsukishima without any hesitation. Hinata talked actively, eyes shining as he used his hands to talk as if his voice wasn’t already enthusiastic enough.

The volleyball genius felt his eye twitch.

He hadn’t noticed when they had become so buddy-buddy, but the thought of it didn’t sit well with him. He would very much prefer Tsukishima teasing Hinata and calling him a volleyball idiot.

The more Hinata spoke to Tsukishima, the more Kageyama twitched to drag him away from him. Hinata hadn’t looked that relaxed with Kageyama in a while even though they were supposed to be partners. When Tsukishima moved his hand to ruffle Hinata’s hair, the shorter male smiled even wider and raised his hands to grab at Tsukishima’s wrist.

A deep frown formed on Kageyama’s lips, feeling something cold traveling down his hand. His grip loosened, eyes looking downwards to see his nearly empty water bottle. He hadn’t noticed that he had been squeezing it, the action less than amusing for the setter. He placed it down and grabbed a towel to wrap around his neck, eyes flickering back up to glance at his fellow second years. He tensed when Tsukishima was staring at him, a smirk playing at his lips.

His squinted his eyes, hands gripping the towel tightly.

The jerk had been doing it all on purpose.

Tsukishima leaned down to whisper into Hinata’s ear, never moving his eyes from Kageyama. Hinata turned red in the face, hands immediately moving to his neck in embarrassment. He looked horrified, Tsukishima snickering and motioning for him to return to his majesty.

“I'll see you later anyway, might as well give your majesty his playtime with you,” Tsukishima said, loudly enough that Kageyama felt the vein in his forehead grow.

“Stop saying weird things!” Hinata shouted as he turned and jogged to his partner, face inflamed. He was still covering his neck even though his shirt hid the markings well.

“What was that?” Kageyama questioned, tone quiet and cold. It didn’t make any sense—the way his chest constricted and tightened. It only made the frustration in the setter build.

Hinata shook his head and grabbed a towel to cover his face.

“Nothing, just...nothing” he mumbled, Kageyama letting out a breath of disbelief.

“Well then hurry up, we need to practice receives.”

Hinata snapped out of his daze, looking at Kageyama and nodding. Kageyama was taken back by the look in his eye, swallowing hard. Hinata offered a small grin.

“Right!” he agreed, running onto the court to take his usual spot.

Hinata didn’t spare Kageyama another glance for the duration of practice, though much to the setter’s irritation, whenever he and Tsukishima made any type of contact, the ginger would turn as red as a beet.

The feeling in his chest grew.

* * *

 In his own room, Kageyama was able to imagine new routines and moves that he and Hinata could practice to gain an upper hand. It was one of the most useful ways to utilize his free time, and yet he was here wasting it thinking about Hinata in a completely non-volleyball related manner.

Whenever he closed his eyes, he would see Hinata’s startled expression and Tsukishima’s smug smirk.

It pissed him off more than words could describe.

‘Why was the idiot acting like that?’ he thought, tossing the ball into the air as he lay in bed. He wasn’t sure what angered him but had his money on the fact that Tsukishima was proving to be a distraction. Hinata needed to be at the top of his game, and having Tsukishima messing with him at a time like this would be detrimental to their volleyball percentages.

Each time the ball left Kageyama’s hands, another instance of Hinata blushing would pop into his head. His lips pressed together as the ball got higher and higher with each toss.

‘It reminds me of when he would get close to me after he...’

Kageyama flung the ball towards the ceiling, it bouncing back only to slam into his nose. He cursed and sat up, wincing and holding onto the tender area. The ball hit the carpeted floor, rolling away towards his dresser. He quickly moved towards the bathroom, mind racing and heart pounding.

‘Does he like that jerk?’ he thought, mentally replaying the day’s events while he applied cold water to the injured area.

The way Tsukishima had messed with Kageyama, the way he didn’t seem surprised at the markings on the middle blocker, Hinata’s reactions around him, Hinata’s lack of explanation…

Kageyama’s eyes went wide as his hands dropped from his face, nose red and irritated.

‘There is no way,’ he tried to rationalize, staring into the mirror. ‘Hinata would never fall for a creep like Tsukishima,’

Even with the knowledge of his teammates, the words didn’t soothe the emotion that continued to swirl in his chest. He raised a hand to his chest to feel his heart pounding rather quickly. His mirror image looked a bit pale, brows slanted downward and lips pursed.

_I’ll stop liking you!_

_I can…I_ **_will._**

Kageyama clicked his tongue, grabbing a tissue and shutting off the bathroom light.

It was a ridiculous notion that he should have never even considered.

Tossing the tissue out once he dried his nose, he shut the bedroom light off and moved back to his bed. He tugged the sheets over his head, willing his mind to stop thinking about Hinata for at least the night. Wasn’t is a blessing in disguise that the idiot had moved on?

If so, why did it bother Kageyama so much that he might be with Tsukishima?

He closed his eyes and let out a frustrated breath.

What the hell was happening to him?

* * *

Hinata chomped away at his meat bun, smiling as he sat with his legs crossed. He looked content from Kageyama’s point of view: no blushing, no stuttering, no form of discomfort on his face.

It truly was as if nothing had ever happened.

Kageyama glared down at his lunch.

“Yamayama-kun, you look like someone blocked your spike,” Hinata pointed out, tilting his head. “Are you feeling okay?”

Kageyama looked up, gaze making Hinata tense. The teen began to choke on his food, turning away from the setter as his fist hit his chest. Realizing his mistake, Kageyama cursed and placed his food down, hitting the other on the back and sighing. “Can’t you even eat properly?” he muttered. He grabbed his water bottle, handing it off to the ginger to drink from. Once Hinata recovered, he glared at Kageyama and pointed a finger at him. He took another drink of water for good measure.

“Can’t you look at me without looking like I wronged you?” Hinata retorted, voice raspy and airy. “Ever since last week, you have been glaring up a storm at me!”

Kageyama’s expression turned into one of confusion, hand falling from Hinata’s back.  Hinata's shoulders were hunched over, curling away from him.

Kageyama looked back at his lunch as he tried to sort his thoughts out. Had he really been glaring at him the entire time? He hadn’t noticed at all, which he supposed made sense. Hinata never showed any signs of being uncomfortable.

It was a first considering Hinata was usually an open book.

Kageyama gazed at his partner from the corner of his eye. Hinata had changed a lot in the past few months, he began to realize. Even before the confession, he had learned when to be hyperactive versus when to act calmer. He had gotten better at handling tough situations without puking on someone or constantly running to the bathroom. Of course, the idiot was still as impulsive and stubborn as ever...but that made him all the more endearing.

The tips of Kageyama’s ears grew red, eyes growing wide.  He covered his face with his hand to hide whatever expression he wore. He shouldn’t be having thoughts like that: not about Hinata, at least.

“It seems like things have only gotten worse between us,” Hinata complained, nibbling at his meat bun. “You always look angry when I am around…”

“I am not angry at you,” Kageyama blurted in an attempt to reassure him. Hinata crossed his arms and leaned forward, eyes squinting. His brown eyes were disbelieving, searching Kageyama’s blue ones for a sign he was lying. Not seeming to find much, he leaned back and relaxed his shoulders.

“Then stop killing me with your eyes. It is uncomfortable, _Baka_ geyama” he said, lifting a hand and flicking his forehead playfully. “And stop making that face, I am not going to jump you or anything. I am a man of my word. No touching, no coming on to you,” he teased as he grabbed his jacket and slipped it on. He shoved the remainder of his meat bun into his mouth, humming in appreciation at the taste. With a content breath, he stood and looked down at the setter. “I am off! Gotta study for my exam. Have a good lunch, Kageyama.”

He jogged over to the roof door, opening it as he disappeared into the building.

Kageyama raised a hand to his forehead, looking down at his half eaten lunch with a scowl. Hinata had touched him without any sort of reaction. He, on the other hand, felt like his heart was going to break through his chest and run away from him.

His grip on his chopsticks nearly broke the wooden utensils in half.

He was annoyed.


	2. Our Secret, Your Majesty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama comes to terms with the fact that he might have been too rash when it came to Hinata's confession.  
> Tsukishima manages to make things worse.  
> Jerk.  
> \---  
> He wondered what they were talking about, eyes narrowing at the possible topics that they were going through.  
> The hickeys? Hanging out? Dating?  
> He squeezed the volleyball in his grasp, growling at the very thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would just like to start off with a huge thank you to Mo-San for helping look over this with me ^^.  
> I learned a lot and it was fun to discuss things that confused me. 
> 
> As for this story, there is one final part which shall come out once it is completed, so please look forward to it.  
> Onwards~!
> 
> ~HxL

“No, jump like this,” Tsukishima directed, counting down and jumping to demonstrate how Hinata should follow through with his blocks.“If you do it this way, you open yourself up to being more flexible while reading their moves.”

Hinata made an “O” with his mouth, energy rising as he nodded. “I can totally do that,” he assured, grinning as he bent his knees and jumped as enthusiastically as he could...straight into the volleyball net.

Tsukishima placed a hand over his mouth to hide his snort. Hinata looked up at him from his place on the ground, an embarrassed expression on his face.

“Well if you were playing soccer, I guess that worked,” Tsukishima snickered while Hinata held his checkerboarded face. The lines had marked him temporarily, showing everyone his shame.

Once he had gotten his fill of amusement, Tsukishima offered his teammate a hand. “Try it again. Start off small and adjust as needed. My jump is obviously different so don’t try to replicate my style,” he said. Hinata rubbed his face once more, nodding in determination.

“Right.”

With each jump, Hinata’s confidence grew and he began to experiment.The middle blocker no longer needed the basics for blocking: he needed the height and the air to do it effectively.

“That was better, but remember to keep your hands straight until you are trying to get a one touch,” Tsukishima explained, taking Hinata’s hands and showing him how to place them. Hinata nodded, taking the critique and flexing his hands a few times for good measure.

“I should only use the run-up technique when needed, right?” he asked curiously, the fellow middle blocker ruffling his hair in approval.

“Right. You’ll die before the second set if you jump that often even with your stamina. Let’s not even imagine if we happen to go into a third or fourth.”

* * *

Kageyama watched them practice intently from the other side of the court, having been working on serves before they arrived.

He wondered what they were talking about, eyes narrowing at the possible topics that they were going through.

The hickeys? Hanging out? _Dating?_

Kageyama squeezed the volleyball in his grasp, growling at the very thought. He could easily call Hinata over, though the last time he had interrupted Hinata’s blocking practice, the ginger had brushed him off. Kageyama wasn’t sure he was prepared for that to happen again so soon. It had blown him away when the spike crazy teen had said he was going to practice with Tsukishima. It wasn’t that Hinata wasn’t allowed to refuse to practice with Kageyama...it was just not something that happened often.

A hand on his shoulder snapped him from his trance.

“You look on edge, Kageyama,” Yamaguchi said with an amused expression. “Any reason why?”

“No,” Kageyama muttered, his tone unconvincing.

Yamaguchi to crossed his arms.Instead of grilling Kageyama until he confessed, the pinch server decided to go an alternate route. He turned to watch Tsukishima and Hinata with a knowing smile.“Oh? That is good. So any reason you are glaring at Hinata like that?”

Kageyama felt his face warm and cleared his throat, spinning the ball in his palms. “I am not. I am making sure he is learning properly,” he clarified. Yamaguchi grinned.

“He is in good hands, Kageyama. You were the one who told him to practice his blocks and so Tsukishima offered to help,” Yamaguchi said as Kageyama narrowed his eyes. He looked around before leaning closer to Tsukishima’s right-hand man.

“How do you know I told him that?”

“He told me,” Yamaguchi admitted, amusement dancing in his eyes. Kageyama felt like Yamaguchi was slowly turning into as much of a sadist as Tsukishima.

“Did he?”

“He has noticed you watching for a few days now, but he isn’t sure what he did to upset you. So he has been working hard at fixing his shortcomings.” Yamaguchi explained, watching as the ginger jumped again and again to perfect the different kinds of blocks.

“He never told me any of that…”

Yamaguchi hummed apologetically. “I told him to ask you, but he refused. I guess he went with the assumption that you thought he was slacking. Hinata tends to take things and run with them when he doesn’t know what to do.”

Kageyama frowned. Hinata did tend to do that, though he felt some fault as well. He had been trying to figure out Tsukishima’s intentions, yet instead, he made Hinata feel paranoid.

His mind flashed to his smiling face from their lunch break, agitation filling his chest. He hadn’t noticed anything off about Hinata whenever they were together. He always assumed that Hinata was a shit liar, but his skills had managed to trick him.

One of the things about Hinata that made him so unique was how blunt he was whenever he spoke. The fact that he was now apparently better at holding in his feelings as well as acting like everything was alright was dangerous.

Kageyama ran a hand through his hair, feeling overheated. He needed to figure out whatever the hell the feeling in his chest was so that he and Hinata could talk properly. Ever since Hinata’s declaration to give up on his affections, the awkwardness only seemed to have increased. If before was uncomfortable, this was unbearable. “Thank you, Yamaguchi-san,” he said with a small bow as the brunette grew flustered.

“Ah? For what? I didn’t…”

The two second years tensed when they heard a loud thump along with a shriek. They turned to see Hinata hunched over on the ground. Tsukishima was kneeling behind him, a hand on Hinata’s shoulder. His expression was tense, eyes concentrated on the shorter middle blocker.

Kageyama’s mind went blank when he saw his partner clutching at his ankle, shoulders shaking due to what he assumed was the pain.

“Hinata! Are you alright?” Yamaguchi called from beside Kageyama, running over immediately to check on Hinata. He was panicky, flinching when he saw the injury. He paled,  gazing at Tsukishima in concern.

Tsukishima nudged Yamaguchi gently as a way to comfort him before looking up towards Kageyama. His golden eyes narrowed, the usual smugness missing completely. “You going to stand there all day or get help?” he demanded, not even bothering for a response as he turned his attention back to Hinata. Yamaguchi and Tsukishima tried to get Hinata to stand, but the way he crumpled proved this to be a bad idea.

Instead of getting angry at Tsukishima snapping, the setter walked towards the three second years, heart running a marathon in his chest. Hinata didn't look up, too focused on his ankle and the pain.

Kageyama’s jaw was set, taking in a deep breath. He leaned down and gently pulled at one of Hinata’s arms to get his attention. Yamaguchi and Tsukishima watched him, one looking like he was going to pass out while the other looked annoyed.

“Oi,” he murmured, ignoring the looks of his teammates. Hinata was the concern right now, as his injury could get worse without immediate action. The ginger looked over at him, bottom lip between his teeth. If the guilt hadn’t set in before, Kageyama was sure it had now.

“Hook your arm around me,” he instructed. Hinata shook his head, one of his eyes closed when he tried to move his hand.

“If it hurts even a little bit, I won’t touch you and go get the nurse,” he promised, “But we need to get it looked at to make sure it isn’t broken or sprained.”

Hinata swallowed hard, slowly let go of his ankle. His hand was trembling, and Kageyama felt his mind wander back to the night they made their promise.

‘Ah,’ he thought, frowning deeply. ‘He is shaking just like last time.’

After Hinata’s arm was looped around his neck as directed, the ginger pressed his palm against Kageyama’s back. Kageyama adjusted as needed, hooking an arm beneath Hinata’s legs. “I am going to lift you now. You will have to tell me if it hurts,” he said calmly. He didn’t want to injure Hinata even more, so it was important that the smaller male had trust in him and didn’t panic mid-lift.

Hinata offered a weak smile, remaining hand slowly moving away from his ankle. “It’s fine,” he assured, though his voice told another story. “I trust you, Yamayama.”

Ignoring the elated feeling the words gave him, Kageyama carefully lifted Hinata up. He could feel Hinata’s nails digging into his shirt, tugging on it until he was standing straight. He looked down, Hinata’s face was screwed up in pain.

His eyes opened, though instead of scared, they were relieved. The middle blocker relaxed against his chest, breathing heavily. His expression was unreadable, though Kageyama didn’t blame him. An injury at this time of the year was concerning, especially if it was serious.

If there was one thing that he knew, it was that Hinata would rather die than be benched during a game.

“Sorry, Kageyama,” he whispered as the setter began his walk out of the gym and down the hallway.

‘Why is he apologizing?’ he thought, arms tightening out of habit. His lips parted to tell Hinata to shut up, but instead, he let out a deep breath.

“It’s fine. Just be careful next time, idiot.”

* * *

 Kageyama stood, watching as Hinata waited for the painkillers to kick in.

Thankfully, it was only a minor sprain, but even then it was not ideal for an athlete as stubborn as Hinata. With the injury out of the way, Kageyama thought about another concern of his. It had been on his mind since they had gotten to the nurse’s office.

“Why did you say sorry to me?” Kageyama blurted.

“Ha? Where did that come from?” he asked with a small smile. Kageyama could feel his face go red, not sure where it came from at all.

“I wanted to know why you said sorry when you are the one who is hurt.”

Hinata looked down, shifting and messing with the blanket the nurse had wrapped around him.

“I said sorry because it must have been bothersome to bring me here in the middle of practice,” he admitted, “You were so concentrated but you still came to help, and I wondered why you would do that.”

Kageyama frowned, stepping forward. “It wasn’t bothersome at all.”

“You don’t need to lie, Bakageyama,” Hinata said with a light tone, running a hand through his hair. The expression on his face was concentrated. Kageyama wondered what he was trying to sort through that it made him look like that.

“I am not lying. I wouldn’t have been able to walk away knowing you were injured,” he said, raising his own hand to brush Hinata’s hair back from his face. “I was…”

What was he?

Hinata was watching so expectantly only making Kageyama grow jittery.

Before he could get another word out, the door opened revealing Yamaguchi and Tsukishima.

“Hinata! Are you alright?” Yamaguchi asked, eyes scanning over him like a mother to a child. His hands pressed against Hinata’s face, moving his head around to check for any head injuries.

Hinata’s face brightened, an airy laugh escaping his lips. He held up two thumbs and nodded. “Right as rain,” he said with a nod.

“Are you, now?” Tsukishima pressed, Hinata pouting and waving his hand.

“I am fine! Really,” Hinata assured, smiling brightly, but not fooling Kageyama or Tsukishima.

“We’ll get your stuff,” Tsukishima said, changing the topic, “So rest up and relax. I’ll text your mom so she can come get you.”

Hinata bowed his head in thanks, biting his lower lip. Kageyama looked on, dumbfounded at the interaction.

Tsukishima knew his mother? Were they truly that close or was it a fluke?

“Yamaguchi, do you mind staying here with him until we get back?” Tsukishima asked as the brunette nodded his head, saluting his friend.

“Alright, Tsukki.”

Kageyama swore he saw a smile on Tsukishima’s lips, though when he turned to look at the setter, his face was as stony as usual.

The walk to the club room was nothing short of awkward, yet after they arrived both Kageyama and Tsukishima began to pack Hinata’s duffle.

Once they finished—having done the task in complete silence—they both grabbed the strap, glaring at each other.

“What?” Kageyama demanded.

“I will be bringing him his bag. He is resting and doesn’t need any stress added to him by the likes of you,” Tsukishima explained, tugging the bag in their grip towards him.

“Stress? I haven’t put any stress on him,” Kageyama denied.

The blond male rolled his eyes. “You really are a king, aren’t you,” he asked, pulling the strap towards himself, “Doing things as you please without any thought of how it influences others around you. How cold of you.”

Kageyama frowned, unsure of how to respond to such an accusation. He hadn’t done a thing to Hinata, though Tsukishima didn’t seem the type to say things on a whim like that. He knew something: another secret that Kageyama was left clueless about. His grip on the strap tightened.

“Now isn’t the time for this, I need to get Hinata his stu—”

“Do you like Hinata?” Tsukishima interrupted, “And don’t give me any bullshit, king. I want a straight answer. Yes or no.”

Kageyama felt his throat go dry.  The random question caught him off guard, though the fact that Tsukishima was the one that asked made it even more surprising. “What does that have to do with anything?” he ordered as the blond chuckled, shaking his head.

“Everything. Now, be a good little king and answer the question,” Tsukishima pushed.

Kageyama shifted, lowering his gaze to the bag. Of course, he liked Hinata, but in a platonic and friendly manner. Anything more than that would be a lie if he claimed he did. “What if I don’t know?” he asked, blue eyes raising in a challenging manner.

Tsukishima watched him for a second, though in the next he was gripping Kageyama’s shirt and shoving him into the wall. The bag fell from Kageyama’s grasp and hit the floor with a thump. “If you don’t know, then you are going to give me the bag and back off of him for a while. I think you have done enough,” he said with his signature smile, though anyone could tell from the look in his eyes that he was far from amused.

“Since when have you started to care about what we do,” Kageyama snapped, raising his free hand to grip Tsukishima’s wrist tightly. He saw his teammate’s eye twitch but was too heated to care.

“Don’t tell me you of all people started to like him, too?”

Tsukishima looked unimpressed with the rebuttal.  Kageyama thought he would have looked somewhat shocked, yet instead, he was met with a smirk. “Don’t try to make sense of my life when you can’t even handle your own,” he advised, “The answer is right in front of you and yet you are still acting like a moron. Your stupidity amazes me.”

The tension in the room grew with each minute of silence, a bead of sweat slipping down Kageyama’s face.

“Are you his keeper or something now?” Kageyama asked quietly.

Tsukishima’s grip tightened on Kageyama’s shirt. “Considering a selfish king allowed Hinata to make a promise he himself knew that shrimpy wouldn’t be able to keep, sure. I guess that is partially right,” he admitted, Kageyama’s eyes growing wide. He hadn’t expected Tsukishima to admit to it so easily. His lips formed a thin line when he realized what exactly the blond male had said.

“How did you know about the promise?”

“I know a lot of things. That is beside the point. If you aren’t going to try and sort your crap out, then just keep your distance. He doesn’t need any false hope in his life because you are confused,” he said, letting Kageyama go and grabbing Hinata’s bag. He placed it on his shoulder and moved towards the door.

“And if I don’t stay away?”

Tsukishima looked over his shoulder with an unreadable expression. “Are you really asking that question?”

Kageyama clenched his fists, teeth grinding. Tsukishima let out a soft breath, shaking his head.

“If you don’t stay away, then I’ll let him know about a little secret.”

Confusion crossed Kageyama’s features at the words. Tsukishima’s eyes flickered with contempt for his teammate.

“Secret?”

Tsukishima nodded. “I’ll let Hinata know how I feel.”

Kageyama’s lips parted as he sucked in a breath. His eyes followed Tsukishima as he headed towards the clubroom door. Kageyama clenched his fists, feeling defeated.

"With that reason in mind, I hope you’ll make better choices in the future. Have a _great_ day, your Majesty.”

The door shut behind the blond, leaving Kageyama alone in the empty clubroom.

After a few moments of processing what had happened, he turned and slammed the palm of his hand into the wall. Tsukishima had said the words like they were so easy. He admitted to liking Hinata as casually as Hinata had admitted to liking the setter himself.

People like them were truly terrifying.

The anger faded rather quickly when his mind wandered to Hinata. Had he really been hurting him this entire time without even noticing? He knew, thanks to Yamaguchi, that he had made him feel paranoid...but hurt?

‘I haven’t even asked how he was after he told me he would give up…’ he thought to himself, cursing under his breath.

He needed to talk to Hinata, though he wouldn’t be able to at practice with Tsukishima hanging around. There wouldn’t be a time for him to get a word in if Tsukishima was being sincere about his threat. He shook off the rest of his negative emotions and headed back to the gym. He wouldn’t be able to see Hinata at the nurse’s office, and there was no doubt that he would be kept home to avoid straining his injury….

‘His house’ Kageyama decided, it having been a while since he visited Hinata’s home. It was the only place that Tsukishima wouldn’t be able to interrupt. It was also private, meaning no one would be able to eavesdrop.

Before Kageyama did that, however, he needed to make a call.

* * *

 “Hello?”

“Sugawara-san, I need some advice.” Kageyama began, clutching the phone in his hand. He sat on his bedroom floor, rolling the volleyball with his free hand out of habit. It had been a while since he had called Sugawara or Daichi considering that they tended to be busy with college life. He felt bad for calling only when he had a problem, but he was desperate.

“Ah, Kageyama! How have you been? How is the team?”

“Decent. We got some strong first years,” he said. He took in a breath to avoid hanging up the phone out of nervous habit. “Though something has happened recently…” he admitted.

“Oh? Your tone makes it sound not so good. Is everything alright?”

Kageyama hesitated, shutting his eyes. “Well...Hinata and I…” he started, unsure of how to explain the situation accurately. He didn’t know Hinata’s side at all, making it harder to sound unbiased. “Hinata confessed to me a few months ago. After he did it was awkward and I apparently began to avoid him,” he explained, “But then Hinata decided to stop liking me and at first I was relieved but then he started hanging out with Tsukishima and now his ankle is injured and Tsukishima admitted he has _feelings_ and…”

“Woah, Woah! Kageyama, breathe. Take a second to sort out your thoughts. You are working yourself up,” Sugawara said calmly. The white haired male let out a soft breath, seeming to have gotten as equally overwhelmed with the description of the situation. “Let’s start one piece at a time. What is the main thing you were concerned about?”

Kageyama swallowed, pulling his knees to his chest. “How can you tell when you like someone as more than just a friend?”

Sugawara went silent, Kageyama picking at the carpet with his free hand absentmindedly.

“That is a bit subjective, though the usual signs are always pretty general,” the elder began, “Usually you think about them often, you feel a bit nervous, or shy. Any little thing they do sets you off in some way, both good and bad. Has that happened to you?”

Kageyama thought about it, Hinata smiling at him popping into his mind instantly. A groan of confusion left his lips before he could stop himself, Sugawara’s chuckle echoing through the receiver.

“I will take that as a yes. Now that that's settled, let’s move on to what you were explaining earlier. You mentioned how Hinata confessed to you.”

“Y-Yeah…”

“Yet  you aren’t sure if you like Hinata back?”

“Right.”

Sugawara thought for a moment, snapping his fingers. “Alright, starting with the confession, how did you feel at the time? Happy? Angry?”

Kageyama leaned his head back to rest on the bed. He hadn’t been upset at Hinata’s confession, but thrilled wasn’t the word he’d use either.

“Awkward, I guess. I had never viewed him in that way,” he confessed, “He was my teammate.”

“ _Is_ ,” Sugawara corrected, “And alright, so it was unpleasant for you. Now let us fast forward to now. How would you feel if Hinata confessed to you today?”

The second-year straightened, feeling his cheeks warm at the thought. Imagining Hinata bowing to him and blatantly stating his feelings again made Kageyama want to shove his face into his pillow—whatever that meant.

“I don’t know. I feel...nervous. I wouldn’t know how to answer him.”

Sugawara hummed, the sound of music in the background getting quieter. “Well, what is making you nervous? Are you nervous because you don’t want him to like you like that, or because you can’t give him a proper answer yet?”

Kageyama stared at the ceiling,  placing a hand on his chest. What was he feeling?

“The second one, I guess,” he murmured, “It wouldn’t be...completely unwelcomed.”

“Alright. So that was step one.”

Kageyama felt himself beginning to sweat. That was only step _one_?

‘I was right...love is troublesome’ he thought in frustration.

“Step two involves you and your feelings. You mentioned feeling annoyed when Hinata was with Tsukishima. When did that start?”

Kageyama snapped back into concentration mode, remembering the moment clearly. “We were in the locker room and everyone was teasing him because he had ‘love bites’”

“Hinata? I would have never thought…” Sugawara said with genuine shock, “Maybe Nishinoya or Tanaka since they like to show off, but Hinata?”

Kageyama snorted. “I thought the same, but then Tsukishima kept _smiling_ at him like he knew something and Tanaka and Noya kept touching him....” he explained, tone getting darker the more he remembered. “It seriously...pissed me off,” he finished, eyes narrowed at the volleyball in his grasp.

“So it was more of our teammate’s doing,” Sugawara stated, “Though you mentioned Tsukishima first. From what it sounds like, you two have really been butting heads lately.”

“Well yeah, with the way he was staring it was like the jerk wanted to tease him, but couldn’t. He also admitted that he liked Hinata so it only made me wonder if he...”

“Was the cause of the bites,” Sugawara finished for him, “Did Tsukishima claim that Hinata was his?”

“No...he just told me to stay away and that he would confess to him if I got close.”

Sugawara chuckled again, startling the younger teen into silence.

“Hmm~ Tsukishima was always the perceptive one.”

“What?” Kageyama asked with narrowed eyes. Was his mentor taking the rude middle blocker’s side?

“Nothing, nothing.” the white haired male assured, “You said Hinata was injured. Is he okay?”

The topic change was suspicious, though Kageyama relaxed and rested his forehead against his knees. “Yeah, he is on bed rest to prevent furthering the injury for a week. He should be back next Wednesday,” he reassured, “It was just a sprain, though he was in a lot of pain. They said it was because of overuse.”

“Okay, so long as he is alright. Now, what happened after he was injured?”

Kageyama paused, remembering Hinata’s expression and clenching the phone in his hand tightly. “I brought him to the nurse, and then Tsukishima and I went to get his stuff for him. Tsukishima told me to stay away from him until I sorted myself out.”

“Which is why you called me,” Sugawara pieced together, “I don’t think you really needed me, though, if I am being honest.”

“Ha?”

“Kageyama, you know the answer to your question already.”

Kageyama frowned, shaking his head in disagreement. Tsukishima had said the same thing, but Kageyama felt the same amount of confusion as before all of this started.

“If I did, why would it be so hard to understand?”

“Because love is irrational.”

The ‘L’ word made Kageyama drop the ball in his free hand, it rolling away from him. “I am not in love,” he replied automatically, Sugawara’s snickering making Kageyama turn red in the face.

“Let me put it this way. Hinata is your best friend and the first person you have ever synced up with.”

Kageyama nodded knowing Sugawara couldn’t see as he smiled slightly. He brought a hand up to cover it immediately.

“That makes him someone who is very important to you, both on and off the court. You suddenly see that he is hanging out with Tsukishima and you feel uneasy.”

“Yeah…” he agreed, unsure of where this was going.

“So having admit all that, how would you feel if Tsukishima and Hinata actually were dating right now?”

His lips parted, but he couldn’t get the words out. ‘That would be fine’ turned into ‘Not in a million fucking years’.

Kageyama could never imagine Hinata and Tsukishima being in a relationship like that.

“Not happy, I assume,” Sugawara asked,“So let’s take it a final step further. How would you feel if Hinata dated one of the first years? Or Nishinoya? Tanaka?”

With each name, Kageyama found his irritation rising. He despised the idea of Hinata with any of them. He didn’t want Hinata with any of them because Hinata confessed to _him_ and—

Oh.

_Oh._

Kageyama froze, color draining from his face. “No one,” he whispered quietly, “I wouldn’t want him with anyone.”

Sugawara’s tone softened. “Not unless that person is you, right?”

Kageyama didn’t answer, but it was clear to them both what it would have been.

“I think you just found out the answer to your question, Kageyama.”

* * *

Kageyama’s dream was always to become one of the best volleyball players in the league. He would be the type of setter that brought out his player’s strengths and led them to victory. Whenever he thought of his future, however, there was always a feeling of emptiness. He assumed the emptiness was because the feeling of fulfillment was not one he could understand until it actually happened. That was wrong, though.

The real reason was why he was thinking about his teammate at two in the morning when he should be asleep.

Kageyama shut his eyes and let out a tired groan, wondering why life’s irony had to be as cruel as it was. He turned over onto his side, eyes opening despite his body’s request to get some rest. His attention moved to the picture frame sitting on the table at his bedside. The bright orange bundle of joy in the photo looked almost as vibrant as the real deal.

Hinata was smiling wide, flashing a “V” sign with his eyes closed. He had jumped on Kageyama’s back right before the picture was taken, though even then he looked like he had meant to pose for a photo. His own expression in the photograph was angry, though his hands were on Hinata to balance him rather than throw him off.

Kageyama’s eyes softened, remembering how he had carried Hinata around for half the day for no real reason other than the fact that Hinata had asked him to. The ginger had even fallen asleep on him.

The frustration at his inability to sleep was replaced with warmth in the pit of his stomach.

“I love Hinata,” he spoke to the empty room, the words hesitant but honest. It was completely foreign: the concept of _liking_ someone, let alone loving them.

It was new ground for him and he originally thought that it was for Hinata too. The idiot said himself admitted that Kageyama was the first person he had ever felt that way about, but the bruises on his neck had proven to show otherwise. His nails dug into his palm as he tried to relax. It was harder to do when he thought about Hinata being kissed and touched by someone else. The warmth of his affection was enhanced by the way jealousy burned in his veins.

When it came to Hinata, Kageyama refused to share.

His eyes closed, allowing his mind to wander back to when he had first met the middle blocker. The idiot had been nervous, yet even back then he held his own. The confidence he had shown was useless, but it was what made him stand out from the pathetic excuse for a team he had roped together. Hinata had all it took to be an amazing athlete, but none of the resources.

Kageyama had been so angry that day seeing Hinata’s skill and athletic ability go to waste. He knew that if he had Hinata at Kitagawa Daiichi that they would have been a force to be reckoned with.  They would have been unstoppable had they spent though years together.

The setter narrowed his eyes and shoved his face into his pillow.

“Dumbass,” he whispered quietly, trying to calm his heart. He could feel the throbbing throughout his body. For a moment he wondered if he was getting sick from overthinking.

No, that wasn’t it. He knew the reason behind the weird feeling that swirled in his stomach, now. It was the bright volleyball idiot with a black hole for a stomach and a smile that could make the strongest person falter.

Kageyama shut his eyes, unable to avoid the smile that crept on his lips.

He’d make Hinata fall for him again.

He just needed to figure out how to do it.

 


	3. Don't Forget Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama tries to express himself and obviously, he is a little rusty.  
> \---  
> “Watch over who well?”  
> The setter straightened, spotting Hinata with a crutch under his left arm. He was smiling wide, amusement dancing in his eyes at the sight of his partner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay!  
> If the final part shall be released as soon as it is finalized.  
> I would like to thank Mo-San again for editing not only these 10-ish pages, but the 16-ish pages of the final chapter as well! <3  
> This was, originally, a three shot, but now it is a four shot. I hope it was worth the wait!
> 
> Thank you and enjoy ^^
> 
> ~HxL

Kageyama was a coward.

His intentions had been to go and see Hinata as soon as possible, however, whenever he even started the hike to Hinata’s house, he would end up walking around the city instead. He would go to the park, the bridge over the lake, and even the school. The longer he waited, the more his confidence declined. The only comfort he had was knowing Tsukishima wasn’t anywhere near Hinata considering he was on bedrest until further notice. Even with that, he couldn’t help but feel frustrated at himself.

He kicked at the ground beneath the swing he was sitting on, wondering why Hinata seemed so hard to approach now. Hesitation was not something he had ever battled with off the court. Hinata managed to change that and make him antsy while he was at it.

He hung his head and sighed. Maybe Tsukishima was right about him. He might be better off keeping a distance if he can’t even gather up the gall to see Hinata.

“Tobio-nii-chan!”

Kageyama tensed, hearing the approaching footsteps and looking over his shoulder. He was met with an older woman and a child with hair that was reminiscent of the middle blocker that plagued his mind. He stood immediately, facing them. “N-Natsu, Hinata-san,” he greeted, bowing his head as the older woman chuckled.

“N-Natsu, Hinata-san,” he greeted, bowing his head as the older woman chuckled.

“Pleasure seeing you again,” she said with a small bow of her own. Natsu was tugging at her skirt impatiently, looking back and forth from her mother to Kageyama. “Yes, Natsu?

“Can Tobio-nii-chan come to the house?” she pleaded, the setter offering an awkward cough and raising his hands in front of him.

“Actually, I don’t think I can,” he began, though the way Natsu’s expression dropped was enough to make him want to retract the statement.

“You never come anymore.” she pouted. “And nii-chan misses you a lot too, you know!”

Kageyama's eyes went a bit wide. His heart pounded in his ears, the guilt settling in his chest. Hinata had gotten injured due to his accidental pressure and yet he hadn’t gone to see his partner once. It was shitty of him to do.

A frown crossed his lips as he crouched down to place a hand on Natsu’s head.

“Does he?” he murmured.

She nodded without a moment’s hesitation, brown eyes staring into his blue ones fearlessly. She tapped her palms against the hand as she spoke, a smile blooming on her lips. “He always talks about how he can’t wait to see you again.”

The setter flushed at the declaration, seeing the resemblance in her and Hinata

Hinata’s mother hid her laugh behind her hand, composing herself and crouching down as well. She placed her own hand on her daughter’s back, rubbing up and down soothingly. Her brown eyes were warm as she watched Kageyama.

“The choice is yours, don’t feel pressured. I am sure Shouyou will understand if you can’t.”

Kageyama ruffled his hair and shrugged his shoulders. He moved to stand, looking away and nodding his head.

“I guess a short visit wouldn’t be so bad,” he relented, “but only a few minutes. I have a few things I need to do at home,” he lied. Natsu ignored the statement and pulled him along, talking about how her mommy met a nice guy who brings her sweets and calls her princess. The only thing that Kageyama could pay attention to, however, was the way her hair bounced with each moment, wondering if Hinata would do this very action if they were on a date.

He flushed at the thought and shook his head. He needed to focus on the matter at hand. He was going to see Hinata after two weeks of no contact.

Instead of focusing him, the thought made his stomach flutter.

* * *

 “Wait here, I will go get nii-chan!” Natsu said with a bright smile, her steps creaking against the floors as she ran down the hall. Kageyama stood awkwardly, feeling a hand on his back. He looked to his side to see Hinata’s mother with an apologetic smile.

“Sorry that you were forced here. Natsu is very good at convincing people to come visit.”

The setter relaxed, shaking his head and gripping his bag strap. “It is fine. I should have visited a while ago anyway,” he admitted. “Hinata’s injury was partially my fault.”

She stared at him and shook her head, moving to sit on the couch in the living room. “I don’t think so,” she assured. “You aren’t the type to purposely hurt someone,” she pointed out. Her eyes were warm and trusting, reminding him of Hinata’s own. She was surely a lot calmer, but the resemblance was definitely there.

Kageyama bowed his head. “Thank you for having so much faith in me. I’ll make sure to watch over him well.”

“Watch over who well?”

The setter straightened, spotting Hinata with a crutch under his left arm. He was smiling wide, amusement dancing in his eyes at the sight of his partner. “You came,” he said as Kageyama nodded and turned to Hinata’s mother. She waved a hand, motioning for them to go to his room.

“We can finish our conversation another time, Tobio. Go and catch up,” she said. “I need to get Natsu to double check her homework anyway.”

Kageyama nodded and looked towards Hinata who was already walking towards his room. He followed silently, eyeing the back of Hinata’s head as he walked. Nothing much had changed about Hinata, though the way that Kageyama behaved had changed drastically. He was constantly calculating what he should do or say and how Hinata would react. If he touched Hinata, would be blush or would he laugh? If he hugged him would he be pushed away or embraced in return?  

“Sorry for the mess, I haven’t really been able to clean,” Hinata admitted, ruffling his hair. He moved to sit on the edge of his bed, placing the crutch on the ground in front of him. Kageyama felt his face flush from the thoughts his mind had created and cleared his throat.

“You should know I could care less about the mess,” Kageyama said, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall. The room wasn’t even all that messy. Hinata’s bed was made, his books were piled in the corner, and he didn’t have any clothes lying around. Hinata truly needed to stop apologizing for everything.

He eyed Hinata’s foot once the conversation halted, a small frown forming on his lips.

“If you are going to ask how my ankle is, it is fine,” Hinata said with a grin. “You look so _scared_ ,” he teased, the setter scoffing.

“As if you could scare me.”

“Is that a challenge I hear?” Hinata responded, eyes shimmering with determination. Before the ginger could get any more worked up, Kageyama pulled something out of his bag and threw it at him, a squawk leaving Hinata’s lips. “What was that for?!” he whined, eyeing the folder and flipping through it. He grew silent, lips parted and eyes wide. He raised his head to look at Kageyama with an unreadable expression. The setter shifted against the wall.

“It's what you have been missing from practice. Every technique or play that we have been trying. You might not be able to physically play, but that doesn’t mean you should be out of the loop.”

Hinata’s lips pursed as he continued to look through the pages and pages of material.

Kageyama watched, tilting his head as he chewed on his lower lip. He wasn’t sure if it was helpful in the slightest, but he had tried to make it as clear as possible.

Hinata smiled wide, hugging the book to his chest. “Thanks, Kageyama.”

He was taken back when Hinata opened his eyes. They were somewhat glassy, and Kageyama wondered if he had hurt him again. He was by Hinata’s side immediately, leaning down on one knee and looking up at his partner in concern.

“What is it? Does something hurt?”

Hinata laughed, shaking his head as he sniffed. He rubbed his eyes, but they refused to stop forming tears.

“I am just really happy,” he said. Kageyama raised a brow.

“Happy? But you are tearing up.”

Hinata nodded and squeezed the book tighter. “This whole time, I was worried,” he admitted. “I was worried that I wouldn’t be needed once I got back to practice because no one had really told me much. I assumed it was all going well even without me there.”

Kageyama’s eyes narrowed, though Hinata would be the one to assume something so ridiculous. The taller male felt a surge of annoyance crash over his body, wondering why no one had contacted Hinata about anything. Even the smallest of messages might have eased him, but here he was to the point of tears because he thought he could be replaced.

Kageyama gritted his teeth. His own cowardice once again made Hinata worry. He watched as the middle blocker continuously wiped away the tears, sniffing every so often.

“Don’t mind me,” he said with an embarrassed laugh. “The medication must be getting to me!”

Kageyama’s eyes softened at the claim. Hinata was once again thinking about his reactions rather than his own feelings. It was irritatingly thoughtful.

“Obviously we are still going to need you,” Kageyama muttered, raising a hand and brushing away some of Hinata's tears. “Even if the rest of the team didn’t, I am still not done honing your skills yet, so you better hurry up and get better already, idiot.”

Hinata stared down at him with half-lidded eyes, a deep blush appearing on his cheeks. The color was enough to catch Kageyama’s interest, his mind shutting down. Hinata hadn’t had that expression on his face around him in a while. It was enough to cause the setter to lean toward Hinata until they were only a few breaths apart.

“Something wrong? Your face is all red,” Kageyama mentioned quietly.

Hinata tensed, shaking his head. “You are just close,” he warned, the setter tilting his head.

“Wanted to make sure you stopped crying. Is me this close a bad thing?”

Hinata swallowed hard, parting his lips to speak but no words forming. He looked incredibly cute this way, Kageyama mused, and he wondered why he hadn’t realized this much sooner. His heart pounded rather quickly in his chest as he moved forward. Hinata’s eyes were slowly closing and Kageyama could feel his apprehension through the way he was trembling slightly.

“Hinata.”

The ginger tensed, sucking in a deep breath. Kageyama nearly smiled, about to kiss him until Hinata’s bedroom door slammed open.  

Hinata moved away so quickly that he toppled off the other side of the bed with a squawk, Kageyama not doing much better as he got his foot stuck in Hinata’s crutch and tumbled backward until he was lying back on the ground.

“Nothing!” they both said, Natsu staring at them both in confusion. She pouted, crossing her arms.

“Were you two playing without me?”

“N-No! What is it, Natsu?” Hinata spoke once he sat upright. His chest was leaning against the bed, hands resting on the sheets. His cheeks were flushed, eyes alert and hair messier than usual. His legs were too weak to even think about trying to stand, and so he remained in his seated position on the floor.

“Mommy said dinner should be ready in a half hour, so make sure that if  Tobio-nii-chan is staying that he calls home,” Natsu explained, still not looking convinced that they hadn’t done anything without her around.

Kageyama stood once he freed himself from Hinata’s crutch, clearing his throat.

“I-uh, actually should get going,” he stated looking over at his flustered partner. Hinata nodded and slowly managed to get himself standing.

“Right! School work and, uh, stuff. Plus you don’t have a spare change of clothing!” the orange-haired male brought up. Kageyama nodded.

“You left some here last time! Mommy washed it for you and everything,” she revealed, going to Hinata’s closet and pulling at the sleeve of a shirt. On the hanger was a complete outfit consisting of sweatpants, a long sleeve blue shirt, and even socks.

Hinata blanched. “Crap, I forgot about that…” Hinata whispered, to himself. Kageyama nearly chuckled but decided against it. He crouched down to Natsu’s height, trying to be as kind as possible.

“I’ll save that outfit for next time, how about that, Natsu?” Kageyama suggested. The elementary schooler didn’t look too convinced, though nodded and held out her pinky.

“Promise?”

Kageyama flinched, this being the second promise he would be making to a Hinata in the past month. He turned to look at his partner, Hinata nodding his head and motioning for him to quickly agree.

“Promise, next time I visit I’ll stay,” he said, hooking his pinky with the child’s smaller one.

Satisfied, Natsu patted his head and skipped out of the room, her voice calling out for her mother.

Hinata relaxed, though the pink tint on his face was still evident. Kageyama felt some pride move through him, wondering if Tsukishima had ever made him blush as obviously as that. “I’ll walk you out,” Hinata offered with a shy grin, grabbing his crutch and beginning to leave the room. Kageyama grabbed his arm, causing Hinata to look at him cautiously.

“Uh, you fell. Is your ankle alright?”

Hinata relaxed, a laugh leaving his lips as he puffed out his chest. “A little fall like that won’t hurt me, Bakageyama!”

The setter let out a breath of amusement, raising a brow in disbelief.

“If you say so.”

At the front door, Hinata walked him out to the front of the house, shutting the door behind him to prevent any more Natsu-attacks.

“Uh,” Hinata started, averting his gaze and looking at his injury. “Have a good trip home.”

Kageyama nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked up at the sky, trying hard not to remember Hinata’s cheek in his palm and the way his freckles looked up close.

“I will. Stay off the ankle.”

“I will.”

The two slowly returned their gazes to each other, unsure of how to end the conversation. The wind blew against them both, rustling their clothes and hair.

Kageyama reached out, gently ruffling Hinata’s hair as a final goodbye. “I’ll be going first,” he stated, Hinata smiling and waving a hand.

“Good night, Kageyama.”

Kageyama let his hand fall and turned to begin his walk home. His face heated once he had his back turned, wondering where such cheesy lines had come from. He hadn’t been much of a movie fan, but it felt like a scene out of a script or something. Hinata was probably wondering what the hell had gotten into him.

“Uh, Kageyama!”

The setter paused, turning to see Hinata with a deep blush on his face. He waited, watching as Hinata picked his nails.

“C-Can we video chat tomorrow or something? Since I know you’ll probably be too tired to hike up here,” he called, unsurely. His eyes were wide as he waited, one hand fisted against his chest while the other held the crutch. Kageyama cursing inwardly. How the hell was he supposed to say no when Hinata was staring at him all hopeful like that?

“Sure,” he agreed before he could find a reason to say no. “I’ll message you once I am free. Sound good?”

Hinata perked up, a large smile forming on his lips.

“Perfect!”

* * *

It was the first Sunday that Kageyama found himself looking forward to socializing.

His Sundays were often spent mainly watching volleyball videos or catching up on school work, though today he would get a chance to talk to Hinata again. His mother had gone out for errands, and so he was officially alone to try and relax until his video call with Hinata.

His phone went off, causing the setter to flinch and knock the device off the bed. He cursed, reaching over to grab it only to nearly drop his laptop as well. He stopped everything he was doing for a moment, taking a breather and willing himself to relax.

Once he settled, he unlocked his phone and read over the message.

(3:24) Ready when you are! ~Hinata

A small grin appeared on his lips as he typed out a response.

(3:25) I am getting on now.

He double checked everything, from the camera to the battery on the laptop itself.

He checked himself online, wondering why his palms were so clammy. He had talked to Hinata the day before without issue, minus the fact that he had left on such an awkward note. He flushed at the very thought, wondering what would have happened had Natsu not come in at that moment. Would he have actually kissed him? Would Hinata have even _let_ him kiss him?

The notification that someone was calling him made him freeze again, though this time it was due to the realization that this was, indeed, happening.

‘He is just your teammate, the same person you have been talking to since our first year,’ he tried to convince himself as he clicked the ‘answer’ button. The screen blurred for a moment until Hinata appeared. He looked a bit fuzzy but overall, Kageyama could definitely see that it was his partner.

“You answered!”

His voice alone was enough to make Kageyama hear his heart pounding in his ears.

‘Act normal, damnit’ he scolded inwardly.

“As if I wouldn’t,” he scoffed, Hinata shrugging as he smiled.

“How was I supposed to know that you wouldn’t bail last minute? You are a very unpredictable person sometimes. Ironic considering how boring you are,” he teased. Kageyama raised a brow and crossed his arms.

“Is this why you wanted to call me? To insult me?”

Hinata snickered from behind his hand, brown eyes warm and full of emotion.

“Maybe.”

The setter pushed air through his nose, scrolling his mouse over the ‘end call’ button. “Maybe I should just hang up, then,” he threatened as Hinata’s amusement died down.

“No! I mean,” Hinata started, hands waving in front of the camera.

Kageyama held in his amusement and the need to whisper ‘cute’ under his breath.

“I’ll stop. Boy Scouts honor,” Hinata promised, holding up a hand as Kageyama covered his mouth with the back of his hand and looked away. He wasn’t sure what Hinata’s reaction would be if he saw him smile.

“One, I wouldn’t actually hang up. Two, you were never _in_ the boy scouts because we don’t _have_ it here, and three, that is the wrong hand, you idiot.”

Hinata blinked looking at his hand and raising it towards the screen as he got closer. His eyes were wide with shock.

“You don’t raise this hand?!”

Kageyama snorted and shook his head.

“But I saw it in a movie once,” Hinata said in confusion. Kageyama just smiled, shifting the laptop so it rested on his knees. It was uncomfortable, but it brought the screen closer to him.

The conversation seemed to flow from there, Hinata rambling on and on about the madness going on in his house. Apparently, his mother had been going out on dates a lot more frequently now that she met someone, so it was always him with Natsu. He mentioned how it had gotten a bit cramped in their house whenever the guy came over, but that confused Kageyama.

One person wouldn’t cramp the entire place, would he?

“I feel like I have been talking for a while. Anything new at school?”

Hinata paused, fidgeting for a second.

“Or with you?”

The genuine curiosity in his tone made Kageyama want to squeeze him, though even the setter was unsure of where the need came from. “Nothing besides the usual…” he admitted. “The team is pretty much the same minus the fact that one of the first years got a concussion.”

“Another injury?” Hinata said in shock, lips pursing and eyebrows furrowing.

“Yeah, apparently Tsukishima blocked a ball and while trying to save it, it hit him in the face.”

Hinata shuddered, wrapping his arms around himself. “That sounds terrifying. Tsukki tends to be a bit intimidating just standing in front of you,” he mumbled, Kageyama narrowing his eyes.

“Tsukki?”

Hinata paused, expression going blank before his signature smile appeared. “Ah, I guess it rubbed off on me from Yamaguchi!”

“But you said no one from the team has talked to you in weeks…?”

Hinata laughed nervously, pulling at his hair gently, twisting and turning it in his fingers.

“Not about the team, but just to check up on me…anyway you said the first year had a concussion! Is he alright?”

Kageyama nodded distractedly, wondering why the moment that the blond middle blocker came up, Hinata became antsy. Was it possible that Hinata liked Tsukishima the way that Tsukishima apparently liked him?

“Oi,” he started, noticing how Hinata paled.

“Y-Yeah?”

“You...have you been eating well?” he demanded. His hands were clenched at his sides. If he couldn’t stop Tsukishima from confessing, he would just have to show Hinata how much he cared about him before it was too late.

Hinata’s expression was priceless, his head slowly nodding in response.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I have been?”

“And your ankle isn’t in that much pain anymore, is it?”

“From time to time, but honestly i—”

“And your medication. You have been taking it right?”

“Kageyama are you alrig—?”

“What about your health? Have you been sick recently?”

Hinata huffed. “Oi! Listen to me, Bakageyama!” he shouted, the setter snapping out of his question tirade. Hinata let out a deep breath. “What the hell is going on with you? You are being weird.”

Kageyama raised a brow.“Ha? Checking up on you is weird?”

“Yes! I mean, no, not really, but... you are being _nice_ ,” he pointed out. “A bit blunt, but I don’t think you have ever asked me this many questions at once.”

“Is there something wrong with that?"

“No, it’s just that you never worried about this stuff before. Just because I am injured doesn’t mean I am helpless,” he grumbled.

If there was anything that Kageyama knew, it was that Hinata was far from helpless.

“I know you aren’t. But that doesn’t mean that you aren’t stupid sometimes.”

“Hey!” Hinata whined, but Kageyama held up a hand.

“Is it really that weird to be concerned with my partner’s well being?”

Blue eyes watched as the ginger deflated. All traces of anger left his expression, leaving only a timid one. His partner scratched at his cheek, a small smile on his lips.

“You were worried?” he teased. “Kageyama you _do_ care! Are you sure you haven’t fallen for me?”

The setter felt his eye twitch as his cheeks heated. “Hinata…” he warned. Said male laughed, one hand on his stomach while the other offered a dismissive wave.

“I am kidding, Kageyama. I know that you don’t care like _that_ ,” he assured. “Your reactions are too funny for me to resist teasing you a bit. When you get all red like that—” he stopped, lips parting as his expression grew scared.

“I-I mean, nothing. What were we talking about again?”

The words only made Kageyama's stomach knot uncomfortably. He had never wanted to be the reason why Hinata made such an expression, yet he had done so numerous times. He frowned deeply.

“Kageyama? Please don’t be weirded out. I hadn’t meant to make you feel uncomfortable.”  

“You didn’t, but I don’t want you to think I don’t get concerned.”

Hinata tilted his head, leaning his cheek into his palm. Kageyama picked at the bed sheets beneath him.

“I didn’t ask those questions because you are injured. I asked because I care and because I need you to get better.”

The two stared at each other in silence. Kageyama swallowed hard.

‘Shit. I have really done it now,’ he thought.

“Ah, those words were a bit heavy, weren’t they?” Hinata asked with a nervous laugh, brown eyes downcast. “That isn’t like you.”

Kageyama ran a hand through his hair and nodded. “It isn’t like me. A lot isn’t like me, lately,” he said, more so to himself than to Hinata.

“What do you mean?”

Kageyama chuckled, Hinata wondering if he had set him off. “You really are as clueless as they come,” he said with a sigh. “The reason why I have been so different is because of _you_ , Hinata,”

The ginger swallowed hard.“Me?”

“Yes, you,” Kageyama said through grit teeth. “You make me so unstable and I can’t stand it.”

Hinata flinched, looking a bit guilty. “Sorry...”

The look on Hinata’s face made  Kageyama feel an aching in his chest. He cursed and shook his head.

“Hinata, that isn’t what I meant,” Kageyama began, but Hinata turned, seeming to have been called. He turned back to the screen and avoided staring at him directly.

“Don’t worry about it! Really, I am sorry for bothering you,” Hinata said with a weak laugh. “I promise to get better fast, so don’t worry about me.”

“Hinata—”

“I have to go. Goodbye, Kageyama.”

The call ended before the setter could get another word out, heart clenching in his chest. He slammed his laptop closed and leaned back, covering his eyes with his arm. His lips were pressed into a thin line, wondering why he had to say something like that to him. He had hurt Hinata again, but this time it was his own doing. He could have stopped himself from saying the words and yet...

“Tobio, I am back! Do you want anything for dinner?”

Kageyama remained silent, unable to get words past the lump in his throat.

“Tobio?”

Her voice was closer now, a knock on his door signaling that she would come in at any moment. He removed his arm slowly, sitting up as she sucked in a breath. She placed a hand over her mouth, eyes growing glassy.

“Oh, sweetie...why are you crying?”

The second-year setter smirked, ignoring the wetness that rolled down his cheeks. He choked out a chuckle and shook his head.

“Because I don’t know what to do anymore.”


	4. Second Time's The Charm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Tobio-nii-chan!”
> 
> Kageyama tensed when he felt the little girl wrap her arms around one of his legs, confused as to why she was with him of all people.
> 
> “What is his majesty doing here?” Tsukishima asked as Hinata flushed a bit, rubbing his arm nervously.

Kageyama rolled a ball around in his hand against the gym floor. His free hand held his cheek, the setter lost in thought.

Love, which he was positive was the emotion that Hinata had infected him with, was truly a painful experience. It was something that was confusing and made his chest constrict, and yet even knowing that, he wanted to pursue it. He craved it, or rather, craved Hinata.

After the incident last week, Hinata hadn’t contacted him again. Kageyama had tried, but his fingers would never hit the send button. They would shut the phone off and pretend that it didn’t exist while he sulked.

“You going to be useful or sit in the corner all day?”

Kageyama raised his eyes with a certain irritation dancing in them. He was too busy thinking about how to approach Hinata than to put energy into bantering with Tsukishima. “Don’t you ever take a day off?”

Tsukishima raised a brow, hands on his hips.

“Never.”

Figures.

“Well, take one today. I don’t have time for you.”

Kageyama stood, spinning the volleyball in his hands as he moved to take his position to serve. Tsukishima's chuckling made him stop and look over his shoulder as he walked away.

“Are you sure that a certain shrimp isn’t the reason you are so down, your majesty?”

The setter narrowed his eyes. He turned to face him, ignoring the sounds of his teammates in the background.

“What is it to you whether Hinata is involved or not?”

Tsukishima, looking all too pleased with himself, pushed his glasses higher onto the bridge of his nose. “You didn’t heed my warning, and now you seem to have made things worse. You did it much sooner than I thought, though. Bravo. Really.” he deadpanned, golden eyes narrowing as well. “You have a real talent for playing with people, don’t you?”

The sound of the ball dropping and Tsukishima’s back hitting the gym wall was enough to stop their teammates from whatever they were doing. Kageyama’s grip on Tsukishima’s shirt tightened to the point that his hand was shaking.

“I didn’t mean to do it,” Kageyama defended angrily.

“And yet you still did. Instead of wallowing in your pity, perhaps you should try to remedy the situation,” Tsukishima suggested. “Seeing as you went against my _fantastic_ advice.”

“You are the reason why I couldn’t tell him anything,” Kageyama hissed, wanting so badly to wipe the smirk off his lips. He felt two arms loop under his own and pull him away from the fellow second year, keeping him in place despite his struggling.

“Cool it!” Tanaka ordered, looking back and forth between the second years. “If you aren’t going to knock it off, pack up and go home,” he threatened. Nishinoya stood in between Kageyama and Tsukishima, keeping them away in case either got rowdy again.

“Yeah, your majesty,” Tsukishima said as he brushed himself off. “Try not to let those kingly emotions get riled up. God knows who you’ll hurt next with them so explosive like that.”

Tsukishima smiled. “Though that would be good for me, wouldn’t it now?” he offered, eyes flickering. “That means you’ll make this all the more easy for me.”

Kageyama lurched forward, wanting to shut him up. This was some type of game to him, and it made it all the more infuriating.

“Tsukishima, go for a few laps,” Nishinoya suggested, tone leaving no room for argument. The blond made a face but did as told. He began to jog at a lazy pace, Kageyama trying to calm his breathing. He asked for one day and ended up getting the angriest he had ever been at the smug blond.

“Now, what the _hell_ was that?” Tanaka asked, letting him go slowly. “You and Tsukishima may have issues, but I can’t say I have seen you grab at him like that since you were first years,”

Kageyama kept his gaze on the ground, fists clenching and unclenching. “It won’t happen again,” he promised gruffly. He bowed his head in apology to the two third years. “Please allow me to stay for the rest of practice.”

The two third years frowned, but nodded their heads without much thought.

“Of course. But you gotta chill, man!” Nishinoya said as he jumped up to wrap an arm around Kageyama. “Don’t let Tsukishima get to you so easily. He does it on purpose, so the less interest you show, the less he’ll find amusement in it!”

The setter frowned, nodding as the third year backed away.

“Now run off and be a good little setter. We have to practice spiking.”

* * *

The walk home was grueling.

Kageyama couldn’t shake the way that Tsukishima seemed to know everything about his and Hinata’s situation. Had he talked to Hinata about it? Had Tsukishima gone to his house or something?

He let out a deep breath and shook his head.

“Kageyama!”

He paused, turning to see Yamaguchi running towards him. The pinch served stopped once he was close enough, hands on his knees as he panted. Once he caught his breath, he looked at him with a flushed expression.

The setter raised a brow. “Can I help you?”

Yamaguchi shoved the folder he was holding in his hands towards Kageyama, causing him to stumble back from the force. He continued to stare, looking at the folder now in his possession.

“Hinata’s homework?” Kageyama asked in confusion, Yamaguchi nodding his head.

“Every week I have been taking this to him on Fridays so he wouldn’t fall behind and miss training camps once he is all healed up,” the brunette explained. “But I am busy tomorrow, so you’ll just have to do it for me!”

“What? No,” Kageyama denied immediately, holding it back out to the fellow second year. “I can’t.”

“You _can_ ,” Yamaguchi insisted. “I have a family thing tomorrow, so just take it to him. Please? I’ll owe you a huge favor!”

“I don’t need any favors,” Kageyama replied, his irritation growing. Could no one leave him alone today?

“Not even advice on how to tell Hinata you like him?”

The folder nearly fell from Kageyama's grasp, but he scrunched it in his hands at the comment. “I don’t…” he trailed off, sighing and hanging his head. “I like him more than I know how to explain,” he confessed. He wasn’t sure why he was confiding in Yamaguchi of all people, but if there was anyone to tell, it’d be him. The brunette didn’t seem all that conniving when compared to his asshole of a best friend.

“Well, if I heard right, a little birdy told me that Hinata has actually been bummed out lately,” Yamaguchi revealed, a finger near his lips. “I'm assuming it's for the same reason you are...so don’t you think it would be better to talk things out rather than leave them in the air like this?”

“A little birdy?” Kageyama repeated under his breath, though with the way Yamaguchi was smiling he seemed to know what he was talking about. The setter let out a deep breath.

“If you really don’t want to…” Yamaguchi began, reaching for the folder with a defeated tone. “I can get Tsukishima to do it, I guess. He said he had nothing to do tomorrow anyway...”

Kageyama held the folder out of the other’s reach, hand rising to the sky in an instant. Yamaguchi stared at him with wide eyes, a nervous laugh leaving his lips.

“I-I’ll take that as a no?” he asked as Kageyama scoffed and opened his bag to shove the folder inside of it.

“I’ll do it.”

Yamaguchi grinned and bowed his head. “Thank you! I really do owe you one!” he said as he waved. He turned in the opposite direction and ran off, but paused as he skidded to a stop. He looked back and pointed at the setter. “Oh, and don’t show up after 5,” he warned, Kageyama narrowing his eyes.

“Why not?”

“Just don’t. Promise?”

“No,” Kageyama muttered. He was tired of promises that he wasn’t sure he would be able to keep. “But I’ll try to go directly after practice,” he assured. Yamaguchi smiled in relief and nodded.

“Have a good night, Kageyama!”

The blue-eyed setter waved, standing and wondering how he went from deciding to avoid Hinata to being forced to seeing him the next day.

His hands grew clammy.

* * *

The door in front of him was one of the most intimidating things he had ever seen in his life. It was the door he had seen barely a week ago, and yet today it’s aura was transformed.

He slowly raised a fist to knock, the taps quiet to the point he could barely hear them himself.

‘Just hand him the folder and leave,’ he reminded, knocking a bit harder this time. There was the sound of shifting on the inside, and as the door opened the familiar mess of orange hair caught his eye. He tensed, the brown eyes on him looking shocked and confused.

“K-Kageyama,” Hinata greeted in disbelief. “Uh, nice to see you…”

The setter bowed his head, holding out the folder with the ginger’s name on it. Hinata took it carefully, flipping through it and smiling a tiny bit.

“I am assuming that Yamaguchi didn’t let you know I was coming,” Kageyama muttered, shoving his hands into his jacket. Hinata shook his head, smiling shyly.

“Not really. I thought it would be Tsukishima, though I suppose he is busy today as well.”

“No,” Kageyama said honestly. “Yamaguchi convinced me to.”

Hinata blinked in surprise, letting out a small laugh and ruffling his hair with his free hand. He looked relieved, and Kageyama’s eyes softened. “Thanks, then. I appreciate it!”

The taller male nodded, watching Hinata shifted awkwardly. He was biting his lower lip, brown eyes focused on the folder in his hands.

“How is your ankle? Looks better since you don’t have the crutch.”

Hinata straightened and nodded. “I can walk on it now, but I just can’t apply too much pressure.”

“Good, good.”

Hinata smiled in response as his hand fiddled with the doorknob.

“I should go,” Kageyama said, pointing behind him. Hinata faltered but perked up again in an instant.

“Alright...have a good day.”

“You too, Hinata.”

The setter turned, fully prepared to leave until he suddenly stopped. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get them to move. He knew why, but he wished he didn’t. “Hinata,” he called, the ginger opening the door again to listen.

“Yes?”

Kageyama turned to face him, expression blank.

“Can I come in?”

* * *

‘You’ve really done it now’ Kageyama thought to himself, hands gripping his sweatpants tightly.

The two teammates sat awkwardly in the living room. Hinata played with the ends of his t-shirt while his eyes flickered from the setter to his lap.

“Would you like anything to drink?” Hinata asked curiously, the setter nodding to appease his dry throat.

“Water is fine,” Kageyama murmured, the ginger nodding and scurrying to the kitchen. When he was gone, the younger male exhaled, hand moving to grip his dark hair. This was _not_ part of his plan, and yet he had impulsively asked to come in. Hinata probably thought he was insane by now.

“Here, though I am sorry if it is a bit warm,” Hinata said with a slight smile. “We ran out of ice so I just refilled the tray.”

“It’s fine,” Kageyama assured. “Thank you.”

The clock ticked in the background, reminding Kageyama of each second that went by without a word from either of them.

He let out a deep breath, unable to take the odd atmosphere.

“I am sorry,” the two said in unison.

Both volleyball players eyed each other in surprise.

“Did you just…?” Kageyama asked as Hinata nodded. The ginger laughed, the first emotion other than anxiousness that he showed since Kageyama arrived.

“Why did you apologize?” Hinata asked as Kageyama cleared his throat.

“Because I hurt your feelings,” he stated, swirling the water in his glass. “Why did you apologize?”

“Because I hung up on you without giving you a chance to explain. It was really rude of me!” Hinata said with a nod. “I know you didn’t mean the words in that way...I blame my meds for making me overreact."

Kageyama let out a soft chuckle, hanging his head and watching as the water in his glass came to a standstill. “You always blame your meds.”

Hinata grinned sheepishly, shoulders relaxing as he nodded. “I do, it isn’t every day you can blame them.”

The two leaned against the table, falling back into the normal rhythm of their banter.

“You should have called,” Hinata said while pouting. “I was really concerned!”

“Last I checked your ankle was broken, not your fingers,” Kageyama retorted with a raised brow. “What is your excuse?”

“You're scary!” Hinata whined.  

Kageyama leaned back from the shock of the words. “I am not! You are just a wimp,”

“Shut up, Bakageyama!”

“Make me, you dumbass!”

The sound of the doorbell ringing startled them both, Hinata moving to stand. Kageyama followed suit to make sure Hinata didn’t bang into anything on his way there.

“It’s a bit early, isn’t it?” Hinata mumbled under his breath, Kageyama raising a brow.

“Early for…?”

Hinata opened the door, Kageyama’s body going rigid at the familiar male that stood on the other side.

“Tobio-nii-chan!”

Kageyama tensed when he felt the little girl wrap her arms around one of his legs, confused as to why she was with _him_ of all people.

“What is his majesty doing here?” Tsukishima asked as Hinata flushed a bit, rubbing his arm nervously.

“He came to bring me my school work,” Hinata explained, giving the blond a pointed look in return. “How come your dad didn’t pick up Natsu?” he asked as the blond snorted.

“Am I not allowed to pick her up now?”

Kageyama tried to process the events, unsure of whether he was hearing the conversation correctly.

“I’ll have to talk to Yamaguchi. Isn’t he the one who usually brings your work to you?”

“Yeah, but he was apparently busy today.”

Tsukishima clicked his tongue, looking unconvinced of the excuse. He turned to eye Kageyama, his smirk growing as he stepped inside and wrapped an arm around Hinata. “Don’t we look good, King?”

The setter’s eyes narrowed. Natsu frowned at how tense he was.

“Tobio-nii-chan...are you okay?”

He couldn’t lose his temper this time, not with the mini Hinata watching.

The elder Hinata looked concerned about the whole thing, eyes darting between his two teammates. He placed raised his hands to remove Tsukishima’s arm from his shoulders, holding it up in the arm above his head.

“Why don’t I make some tea while everyone calms down?”

The two rivals continued to stare at each other, the blond lifting his hand only return it to Hinata’s head. He ruffled the hair affectionately. “Sure. You know how I like mine, right?” Tsukishima asked, making the anger in Kageyama’s chest ignite.

“Yeah, you like yours sweet. What about you,  Kageyama?”

“Bitter,” he spoke as Hinata nodded, ignoring Tsukishima’s snickering.

“Didn’t think you could handle any more bitterness in that heart of yours.”

Hinata shot him a look, bowing his head in apology to his partner. “Sorry...I’ll explain once I finish making the tea,” he promised, though Kageyama wasn’t concerned about after the tea.

He was concerned about what could happen before it was finished.

“You going to stand there all day, King?”

He shot Tsukishima a dirty look and moved to follow him into the living room, resuming his seat on the floor so he could rest his arms on the table.

Natsu had followed Hinata into the kitchen, voice loud.

“Yamaguchi did this, huh? Maybe he wanted you to find out about us. He did say I was being a bit too harsh...”

“What do you mean ‘us’?” Kageyama demanded as he raised a brow.

“You're somewhat smart, aren’t you? Put the pieces together.”

Kageyama took in a deep breath, deciding to do just that.

Tsukishima apparently knew Hinata’s home address. He came in with Natsu, though apparently, Tsukishima’s father was usually the one to pick her up. Tsukishima also seemed to have contact with Hinata’s mother…

His eyes went a bit wide.

“You didn’t,” he muttered as Tsukishima raised a brow.

“Didn’t what?”

“Ask him out,” Kageyama said angrily. “You didn’t tell him.”

The blond snorted, looking all too amused at how worked up the setter was getting. His eyes flickered dangerously. “Oh but I did,” he said.“And now that you know, you’ll be the perfect witness to prove it to everyone else.”

Kageyama felt his blood run cold. “Fuck if I will,” he challenged, the middle blocker leaning forward and smirking.

“Game on, your majesty.”

* * *

By the time the tea was done and finished, Kageyama was more than irritated. Not only had Tsukishima had contact with Hinata this entire time, but he was probably dropping hints about liking him here and there without fail.

“Natsu, go and start your homework, alright?” Tsukishima murmured. She smiled brightly, nodding her head and pecking his cheek before running off. Kageyama felt the jealousy at the closeness between them hit him square in the chest. “Hinata, can I speak with you in the kitchen?”

Kageyama tensed, eyeing his partner who seemed completely unaware.

“Sure, I have to put these dishes in the sink anyway.”

“I’ll help,” Kageyama blurted, standing instantly. Hinata looked up at him in surprise.

“Thanks!” Hinata said with a grin, carefully standing up.  He led the way into the kitchen, Kageyama following with his cups in hand. He ignored the way that Tsukishima watched him, golden eyes burning into his back.

“Yeah, _thanks_ ,” Tsukishima sneered, shoving the other away from Hinata and placed a hand on his shoulder. “We can talk once his Majesty leaves,” he said, Hinata flicking some water at the blond.

“We talk all the time, stop being so impatient,” Hinata scolded. “Besides, Kageyama doesn’t visit often and I want to talk to him about this.”

Tsukishima sighed, resting his chin on Hinata’s head as he held him from behind. Kageyama ground his teeth together roughly.

“You know I am impatient when it comes to you,” Tsukishima murmured, making the ginger flush red.

“W-What are you even do—” he began, but Tsukishima cut him off.

“And the king already knows about _this_ ,” he said, making Hinata look at Kageyama with shock.

“You do? About Tsukki and me?”  

“So it is true?” Kageyama asked quietly, the blond chuckling.

“Beyond true, tell him, _Shouyou._ ”

The ginger flicked more water at him, brows scrunching in confusion. He looked redder than Kageyama had ever seen him, and he wondered just how long it had been since he had lost Hinata. “You are being weird today!” the shorter male said as Tsukishima looked down at him, leaning forward. Hinata sucked in a breath.

“Only because I am glad we don’t have to hide it anymore. Kageyama offered to let everyone know for us,” he lied smoothly. “Right, King?”

The setter was at a loss for words, his body relaxing. He looked at Hinata, blue eyes searching for any kind of lies in his brown ones. All he found was anxiety and confusion. It was amazing how, for once, they seemed to be feeling the same thing.

“Are you happy?”

Hinata tilted his head. “Of course, why wouldn’t I be?”

Kageyama swallowed the lump in his throat, nodding his head slowly. “Then I’ll accept it,” he said as he averted his eyes. “Because he seems to be doing a better job than I would have.”

“Kageyama what are you talking about?” Hinata asked, eyeing Tsukishima with a pointed look. “What did you tell him?” he ordered, the blond looking down at him with an amused expression.

“The truth about us. Is that so wrong? It isn’t like he would have been able to make you happy,” he said, Kageyama flinching at the words.

Tsukishima grinned wider. “He couldn’t even come and visit you when you were injured. You cried over that for the first week.”

“Tsukishima!” Hinata shouted, Kageyama’s eyes growing wide.

“What? It is the truth, isn’t it? You asked why he never showed up and thought he hated you. You thought that he didn’t want to be your partner anymore."

“Shut up!”

“Hinata, I—” Kageyama started, though the blond interrupted him.

“Let us not forget how he made you make that stupid ass promise,” Tsukishima continued, Kageyama glaring into the taller male. “Didn’t you cry that night too?”

Hinata looked beyond uncomfortable, eyes flickering between Kageyama and the teen speaking.

“S-Stop talking about that,” he demanded, voice shaky.

Kageyama was confused, wondering why Tsukishima was doing this. The setter had already given up, he had said that Tsukishima won.

So why was he doing this to Hinata?

“That is enough,” Kageyama said, stepping forward.

Tsukishima released Hinata and leaned against the counter with his arms crossed. “I don’t think it is,” he pressed, eyes glued to Kageyama. He smiled. “Oh, I remember now! You came back and asked why Kageyama couldn’t like you back!” he said, snapping his fingers and nodding his head. “You went on about how stupid you felt and…”

Kageyama ignored the rest of the words, looking at Hinata as the teen shook. When the ginger raised his head, the setter could see his reddened cheeks glistening as the tears began to slip down his cheeks.

Kageyama turned and grabbed Tsukishima by his shirt, eyes narrowed. “Shut. Up. You know, I was prepared to end this peacefully,” he growled darkly. “But is this what you consider taking care of Hinata is? If so, your logic is so fucked.”

“What is this? My one time making him cry to your 12? Or am I lowballing it?”

The sound of Kageyama throwing the blond to the floor startling the ginger out of his daze, eyes growing wide as he saw Kageyama climb over him and raise a fist.

“Don’t!” the eldest of the three gasped.

Kageyama turned, surprised at the reaction. “What?!” the setter asked incredulously as Tsukishima smirked. He placed his hands behind his head to get comfortable on the ground.

“You heard him, King. Get off.”

Kageyama hesitated, Hinata rubbing his eyes with his sleeve. With a final look at the middle blocker, Kageyama got off of Tsukishima. Instead, he pulled Hinata by the wrist, exiting the kitchen and moving towards his partner’s room.

“Kageyama, what are you doing?”

The embarrassment in Hinata’s voice sent a new wave of anger through Kageyama, but he did his best to remain calm. He shut the door behind them, pressing his back against it and pulling Hinata into his chest. He wrapped his arms around him and rested his nose in his hair.

“Sorry,” Kageyama whispered, doing his best to calm down. “Just...let me stay like this for a second, okay?”

Hinata showed no signs of protest, slowly bringing his hands up to tug at Kageyama’s jacket. Kageyama shut his eyes, and within moments the other’s presence alone was able to relax him. Whenever his partner sniffled, however, he felt like he wanted to go back to the kitchen to punch the smirk off of the blond’s smug face.

“Thanks,” Hinata whispered softly. Kageyama kept his eyes closed, though the confusion slipped onto his features at the words.

“For?”

“Sticking up for me,” Hinata said with a tiny laugh. “Tsukishima has never been that mean before...I don’t know what came over him."

Kageyama slowly opened his eyes, raising a hand to move through Hinata’s hair. “He was probably doing that because I was here.”

Hinata tightened his grip on the setter’s jacket. “That makes it worse.”

“And why is that?”

Hinata curled into himself, forehead pressed against his chest. “Because he _knows_ how I feel about you,” he explained weakly. “He wasn’t lying about all of those things he said, but that doesn’t mean that is was right for him to say that in front of you.”

Kageyama’s eyes widened at the confession. “He confessed to you knowing you still liked me?”

Hinata shot his head up to look at his partner. “ _Confessed_?”

Kageyama scanned his expression, heart stopping in his chest. Had he just revealed Tsukishima’s secret by accident? “He...didn’t...confess?” he asked weakly, Hinata shaking his head in pure disgust.

“No, oh god, no!” he said, realization spilling over his features. “He told you that he confessed?!”

Kageyama nodded as Hinata hid his face into his chest again, shoulders shaking.

“The reason why Tsukishima and I are closer is _not_  because he confessed,” he began. He looked up, red in the face. “It's because our parents are dating!”

* * *

The teammates sat on the floor of Hinata’s room, having calmed down from the unexpected events of the day. Kageyama’s lips were in a thin line, heart pounding in his chest. Hinata didn’t look all that much better, constantly shifting positions.

“So you aren’t…”

“Never,” Hinata said instantly. “Stop mentioning it.”

Kageyama couldn’t help but feel embarrassed that he had been fooled. He had nearly punched him in the face, for christ’s sake, and yet none of it had been true. “What about in the locker room?”

Hinata looked at him, tilting his head.

“Locker room?”

“You were both hiding hickeys...what was that about?”

Hinata flushed and groaned. “I told you all it wasn’t like that!” he whined, hiding his face in his hands.

“Then what was it _like_?”

Hinata let out a deep breath and looked at Kageyama in the eyes. “It was like Natsu using a vacuum to wake me up because I went to sleep by accident and then me using it on Tsukishima as revenge,” he said honestly, brown eyes never leaving the setter. “Tsukishima and I were _never_ like that. Ever.”

Kageyama let out a breath of disbelief, running a hand through his hair. “So he is practically your brother? Not your boyfriend?”

“No, and I thought I said to stop bringing it up!”

Hinata looked horrified, a shudder of disgust moving through him. “I was wondering why he was being so touchy and weird...”

As Hinata worked to will the image of him and Tsukishima out of his head, Kageyama had his mind on Tsukishima’s words. He eyed Hinata, shifting so he could move closer to him. He stopped when he was sitting beside him, the orange haired male watching his every move.

“What is it?”

“Did I really make you cry all those times?”

Hinata frowned, rubbing his neck nervously. “Yeah...but in your defense, you didn’t mean to!” he assured. “It was more so me just getting out the excess emotions.”

“But it was still because of me.”

Hinata huffed, taking Kageyama’s face in his hands and forcing him to look at him. “But you didn’t mean to, right?” he asked, using his hands to force Kageyama to nod along with him. “Good! Then there is no use in remembering it. What happened happened, but what matters is that you know that I am _not_ dating Tsukishima!”

Kageyama couldn’t help the way he cracked a smile. It was amusing how intent Hinata was on proving he and the blond weren’t actually together, and each time he said it, Kageyama’s heart would skip. He raised a hand to cover Hinata’s nodding in understanding. “I get it,” he said, pressing his cheek into his partner’s touch. Hinata tensed when he noticed how close they were, his cheeks blooming with dark red color. Kageyama smirked at the reaction.

Hinata stood and walked to the door. “We should go and let Tsukishima know that everything has been aired out and that it is all in the past!” he said with a nervous laugh, though Kageyama moved to stop him, blocking the door with his own body.

“We aren’t done talking,” Kageyama reminded, Hinata eyeing him with a pout. He wrung his hands slowly, biting his lower lip. Kageyama chuckled and pulled him close again. Hinata made a small noise, but sighed, knowing he couldn’t get out of this.

“Alright...talk,” he whispered, hands clutching at Kageyama’s clothing nervously.

“Do you still like me,” the setter questioned bluntly, not wanting to dance around the topic any longer. Either Hinata still liked him or Hinata had moved on.

Hinata kept his face down, his breathing a bit uneven considering his situation. “I do,” he whispered weakly, shoulders tense and face hidden. Kageyama frowned, running his fingers through Hinata’s hair.

“Oi. Look at me,” Kageyama muttered.

“Not yet,” Hinata replied. His partner swallowed and raised a hand to gently ruffle his hair. He couldn’t apologize and confess properly if Hinata didn’t look at him.

“I said to look at me, idiot.”

“And I said not yet, Bakageyama,” Hinata denied stubbornly.

The vein in his forehead grew at the second refusal. He placed his hands on Hinata’s shoulders, trying to push him away for a moment. “Hinata—”

“One second!”

Kageyama tried harder to pry Hinata off of him, though the shorter male only tightened his grip on the setter. The two began to move around in a circle, Hinata careful not to put too much pressure on his injury while Kageyama continuously tried to make Hinata look at him. “Stop being stubborn and look at me!”

Hinata parted his lips to speak, only to trip backward. A gasp left his lips as he stumbled, pulling Kageyama with him as the two crashed into the carpeted bedroom floor. Kageyama immediately placed his hands on the floor and pushed himself off of Hinata.“Are you alright?” he asked, eyes wide and looking over his partner for any new injuries. He froze when he saw Hinata’s reddened face, the middle blocker moving to hide behind his hands moment later.

“I said to wait for just a second, idiot!” Hinata whined, voice muffled and high. Kageyama watched with an odd fascination, not sure what was coming over him. He hadn’t meant to knock Hinata over, he had wanted to talk and let the other know how he felt before anything else happened.

“I just wanted to look at you,” Kageyama admitted as he leaned forward slightly. The frustration of the situation finally caught up to him, one hand grabbing at Hinata’s wrist. “Is that bad?!”

“No!”

“Then why don’t you want to look at me?”

“Because I made a promise!” he shouted into his hands. “I am not supposed to blush or do any of that anymore when I am around you, but my heart is going crazy right now!” he cried out. Kageyama’s grip loosened, noticing how Hinata was trembling beneath him. His lips parted, eyes growing softer at the sight. “Give me a moment, and I swear it will be like this didn’t happen,” Hinata promised quietly.

The setter frowned. He had been so concerned about Tsukishima stealing his partner away, he never noticed how Hinata was worried about driving him away himself. He had been working hard to hide how he felt, but with Tsukishima’s teasing and Kageyama’s own interrogation, Hinata had been forced to admit that he still had feelings for him.

It was a lose-lose situation for Hinata no matter what he did.

Kageyama leaned forward to rest his forehead on Hinata’s shoulder. The ginger made a noise of confusion but didn’t push him away.

“Sorry,” Kageyama murmured. “I really am. I should have listened.”

Hinata’s breath calmed, and he parted his fingers to see Kageyama’s hair. “It’s k,” he replied without any hesitation. “You didn’t ask for any of this.”

Kageyama snorted. “Neither did you,” he reminded.

Hinata let out an exasperated breath and shut his eyes. “Kageyama, I said it was fine. Really!” he began, interrupted by the way his partner growled. He tensed. It sounded so close to his ear considering the other’s position.

“It isn’t because you went through it alone! You cried because of me and that stupid promise that I forced you to make. Stop defending what I did!”

Hinata shifted, removing his hands from his face and holding them on his chest. “It was hard. I was scared a lot of the time,” he said honestly. His voice was so heavy with emotion that Kageyama’s guilt came crashing down on him again. “I thought that you would hate me if I didn’t do it though, so that is why I made the promise even though I knew that I couldn’t stop liking you. If I could still be your partner on the court, then off the court didn’t matter as much. Volleyball means a lot to both of us, and if I ruined that with a stupid crush…” he trailed off.

“It isn’t stupid,” Kageyama murmured, Hinata frowning and looking away.

Kageyama watched him, wondering when Hinata started to think about things in such a way. The idiot was too selfless, constantly worrying about someone else. He lifted his forehead to look down at Hinata, eyes meeting the ginger’s through the gaps in his fingers.

“I like you,” Kageyama said aloud.

Hinata tensed, eyes growing wide. “Ha?!”

His brown eyes looked like they could pop from his head, body going rigid.

Kageyama thought it was cute.

“I like you,” Kageyama repeated, using his thumb to point to himself before pointing it at his partner.

“You said you would never see me like that!” Hinata reminded. “You said that we were better off as friends because volleyball came first—”

“And that was stupid for me to say,” Kageyama admitted. “But now I know that, and I don’t want Tsukishima, or Tanaka, or Nishinoya to touch you when I am the one you like!”

Hinata removed the hands from his face, heart pounding heavily in his chest. “Do you mean that?” he asked carefully. “Do you actually like me?”

Kageyama’s heart clenched at the disbelieving expression. He nodded, moving to rest his forehead against Hinata’s. The ginger smiled wide, covering his face with his hands again. When he sniffed, Kageyama’s eyes went wide.

“Are you crying?”

“No...shut up.”

The setter sat up, using his hands to pry Hinata’s away from his face. Tears rolled down his cheeks, but unlike earlier, there was a smile on his lips.

“Don’t worry,” Hinata said with a small laugh, noticing Kageyama’s worried expression. The ginger leaned up, pressing his lips to his partner’s, pulling away as quickly as he initiated the kiss.

“This time they are happy tears.”

* * *

 Kageyama and Hinata glared at the blond, the glasses wearing teen smirking as they entered the living room holding hands. “So the King finally fell for his Queen. _Yipee._ ”

Hinata moved to smack him, but Tsukishima pointed to the sleeping child on his chest.

“You wouldn’t want to wake up our precious little sister, would you?”

Hinata fumed, huffing and turning away. “ _My_ sister. You are too evil to claim her,” he grumbled, Kageyama wrapped an arm around him.

“So you lied,” Kageyama said, the blond raising a brow.

“I never lied,” he said honestly. “I simply phrased things so that you would misinterpret them.”

"You said you liked him."

"I said I would tell him how I felt. I never said about what."

Kageyama shook his head in irritation. Tsukishima had played both of them easily. They were pawns.

“I would usually yell, but you helped us in your own fucked up way,” Kageyama said as Hinata flinched and smacked him in the chest.

“Language!”

“She’s _asleep_ ,” Kageyama reminded as Tsukishima chuckled, shutting off the television and carefully lifting Natsu to get her ready for bed.

“You guys are like newlyweds. It’s nauseating,” the blond said as he moved towards the room.  “Oh, by the way, your majesty,” Tsukishima began, as he stopped walking. He looked over his shoulder. “Did you really think I would date someone as green as grass as Hinata?”

The couple looked at each other in confusion at the statement, unsure of what he meant.

“Green as grass? But your hair is orange…” Kageyama whispered as Hinata nodded.

“And my eyes are brown so that can’t be it…”

Tsukishima snorted and shook his head. He turned back and began to walk away again. “Forget what I said. Just know that you guys are _perfect_ for each other,” he said, shutting the door to Natsu’s room as the oddball duo stood in silence.

“Why do I feel like...he insulted us somehow?” Hinata asked as Kageyama nodded in agreement.

“Doesn’t matter. He won’t annoy us as much now.”

Hinata smiled, leaning into his partner’s hold and wrapping his own arms around him. “Good, because now you are stuck with _me,_ ” he teased, resting his chin on Kageyama’s chest as he looked up at him.

Kageyama wondered if Hinata could feel his heart racing in his chest, ignoring it to press a soft kiss against his forehead. Hinata’s face scrunched, eyes closed and nose wrinkling. Kageyama felt the urge to squeeze him, though this time he acted on it and pulled Hinata closer.

The idiot was too damn _cute._

“Hey, Kageyama?”

Said male hummed, too absorbed in looking at him to respond.

“Can we make a new promise?”

He tensed immediately, a frown on his lips.

Hinata laughed at his expression, but the setter remained cautious. It was only when an idea came to mind that he relaxed.

“Fine,” Kageyama agreed, with a small nod. “I promise that I won’t run off again and that if anyone so much as touches you, they are dead,” he proposed, his partner snickering.

“Oh~” Hinata spoke with a sly smile. “Can you actually do such a thing?” he teased, the words sending a wave of deja-vu over them both.

Kageyama let out a laugh—a genuine, hearty laugh— and nodded his head. He leaned down to Hinata’s ear, his breath tickling the middle blocker.

“I can...I _will_ ,” he replied, Hinata holding onto him tighter and nuzzling his neck.

“Fine,” Hinata started, “but remember that you offered. I don’t want to hear you gave up becau—”

“Oh, shut up,” Kageyama said as he lifted the other off the ground, a squeak escaping the shorter male’s lips. “My word is my word. You are stuck with me."

Hinata flushed, swallowing hard and nodding his head in acceptance. He wrapped his arms around Kageyama’s neck and pressed a quick kiss to his lips.

“Deal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that ends "Unrequited" :O  
> I hope that you all enjoyed reading and enjoyed the fluffy angsty randomness that is Kageyama and Hinata's relationship.  
> Until next ~ 
> 
> ~HxL


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